[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 7542-7543]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                COMMITMENT TO END VIOLENCE IN OUR NATION

  (Mr. MARKEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, the tragedy in Colorado has saddened our 
country and has highlighted a deadly mix of violent imagery and guns. 
Addressing the cumulative effects of years of violent imagery means 
addressing issues on TV, in the movies, and on the Internet.
  Dealing with children's access to guns and explosive materials is 
something we must do as a society. An effective, proactive response 
must include a willingness on the part of industry leaders to deal 
pragmatically with access to certain content on the Internet.

                              {time}  1415

  I strongly encourage the industry to begin a dialogue with parents 
and community leaders on this issue.
  The reality is that the Internet has a Dickensian quality to it. It 
is the best of wires and the worst of wires, simultaneously. It has the 
ability to ennoble and enable, and at the same time to debase and 
degrade. It is time for our country to begin the discussion as to

[[Page 7543]]

how we are going to resolve this tension in favor of the children in 
our society.

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